Pumas Edged in Indoor Opener

The Kitsap Pumas were eager to see how they’d fare in the transition from outdoor to indoor soccer.

After one game, the Pumas are feeling pretty good despite not coming out with a win.

Kitsap played with the Tacoma Stars for three quarters before the Stars hung on for a 8-6 victory Saturday in the Professional Arena Soccer League opener for both teams.

“We hung with them for a while,” Kitsap defender Taylor Hyde said.

The game — played at the Tacoma Soccer Center — was tied 3-3 at halftime. Kitsap then went ahead 4-3 in the third quarter before Tacoma responded with a pair of goals. The Stars maintained their lead the rest of the game, taking advantage of what Hyde said were “too many stupid penalties” by the Pumas in the second half.

“They just killed us on the power play,” Hyde said.

Hanging with the Stars, who won a semi-pro national title last season, still provided a confidence boost for the Pumas, who joined the PASL two months ago and only recently assembled their roster.

‘We were definitely the underdogs,” Hyde said. “All the critics were saying we were going to get blown out.”